In 1972, Ed Flynn and his business partner, Ned O’Hara, left their jobs, took out a loan, and hit the road traveling from Buffalo all the way down to Georgia. Their goal was to convince Catholic schools up and down the eastern seaboard to take a risk on two young dads with a relentless work ethic and a passion for Catholic education who believed the school uniform industry was in need of something new. In the end, twenty-two schools bought in, and FlynnO’Hara Uniforms was born.
Ed was our grandfather, and we’ve heard the stories of those first years more times than we can count: about the fabled coin flip that determined who would be CEO (Ed won), about their children who practically grew up in the warehouse, about the robust Catholic network Ned and Ed built in their travels. But as we celebrate half of a century in business – coming off two of the most challenging years in our history – we feel it’s worthwhile to take a closer look at the milestones, challenges, and decisions that kept FlynnO’Hara growing for these past 50 years, so that we may better understand what the next 50 will look like.
When we began, there was just one store – 12th and Arch Street – in downtown Philadelphia. Behind it stood an 8,000-square-foot warehouse to store the plaid skirts and khaki pants that would be carted from Georgia all the way up to Buffalo in those first years. Ed and Ned were laser-focused on making it possible for every one of their customers to shop conveniently with FlynnO’Hara, which meant pop-up stores in school gymnasiums, uniforms delivered by the founders, and help from the family wherever necessary. In fact, “Customerfirst” remains our core business proposition 50 years later: guaranteed inventory, inclusive sizing, unmatched quality and hands-on service. But their commitment wasn’t just good business. Ed and Ned believed that school uniforms played a critical role in improving not only the quality of education but equitable access to it. It was no coincidence that their first customers, Catholic Schools, were the standard bearer for both at the time.
“Customer-first” remains our core business proposition 50 years later: guaranteed inventory, inclusive sizing, unmatched quality and hands-on service.
As they began to pick up steam – through acquisitions, like that of future-president Jim Natale’s nearby business, and new school accounts – they quickly realized that growing a business required more than just grit and determination, and thus came the company’s first inflection point: to stay or to grow. Opting for the more difficult of the two options, they did what any Catholic would: they called in the family. Throughout the ‘80s, the next generation of FlynnO’Hara cut their teeth on the road and in the warehouse. Sean, Kevin, and Eireann Flynn, along with Jim Natale, Jr. set out to expand their footprint and establish the brand, with rapid growth leading to new store openings and increasing demand for space back home.
Thankfully, the rest of the family was holding down the fort and helping engineer the move from our small warehouse downtown to a larger location in Northeast Philadelphia. The second generation never gave up momentum and by the end of the millennium, FlynnO’Hara had grown to ten times its size.
In the 2000s, as our generation stepped into our blue pants and plaid kilts every morning for school, the same second generation that took FlynnO’Hara into rapid expansion stepped into leadership roles and began the hard work of building a business that could sustain momentum for years to come. Just as their parents before them, they understood that growth required more than just new schools, and once again they rose to the task. They managed new risks – like the financial crisis – moved into emerging education systems – like charter schools – and capitalized on new channels – like the internet. By 2001, we had our very own, albeit primitive, online store. By 2004, we had doubled the size of our distribution center. By 2008, we were providing uniforms to the nation’s premier charter school networks.
By the time Sean and Kevin Flynn took over as CEO and president in 2011, they had already accomplished what they set out to do: solidify their father’s legacy and turn his company into an industry leader. But the path there never strayed from the core mission. We doubled down on our commitment to educational equity by investing in access to both charter and Catholic education within underserved communities. Quality school uniforms at a fair price, backed by best-in-class customer service, remained our north star as we expanded south into the Carolinas and Florida, and west into Texas. And the whatever-it-takes attitude instilled by the founders endured; every summer finds that second generation stepping in wherever necessary – fulfilling orders, answering customer service calls and visiting schools.
But the job is never done. In 2020, we again found our stability disrupted by a new inflection point, this time as the COVID-19 pandemic shattered the continuity of change and threw the trends of the past decade into hyperdrive. So the second generation did what their parents did, and called in their children to help define what FlynnO’Hara could look like going forward. So far, two of us have answered the call, and, just like in the 90s, the family is once again alive with an inter-generational exchange – sometimes heated, but always productive – of what the future of our company looks like, and how we can innovate for the decades ahead while staying true to the mission of decades past. Now, 50 years since our grandfather flipped that coin, and together with our parents, aunts, uncles and cousins who built FlynnO’Hara into what it is today, we find ourselves faced with the exciting task of continuing our family’s legacy and ensuring our own children can celebrate 100 years in 2072.
Malcolm Flynn is head of ecommerce and Charlotte Flynn Cunningham is the director of marketing. They are third generation of the Flynn Family.
Malcolm Flynnmflynn@flynnohara.com
Charlotte Flynn Cunninghamcflynn@flynnohara.com